Bangladeshi farmers expect a healthy harvest of Boro rice in coming weeks, providing welcome relief from fears of hunger after last year's devastating floods decimated large areas of paddy.

Bangladesh lost about 700,000 tonnes of rice in the monsoon-associated deluge between July and September that produced the country's worst floods in 15 years and caused more than $2 billion in damage. Ten million people were left homeless.

But after the government supplied seeds and fertiliser so farmers could cultivate their fields again, many rice growers say they expect healthy crops.

"I am now busy harvesting rice. The yield is good. Maybe we will have a bumper harvest compared to recent years," said Mohammad Shahabuddin as he worked in his field in Dhamrai village, 40 km (25 miles) from Dhaka.

"I have hired labourers to help me collect the rice and bring it home. I need to do it quickly before rain and hailstones strike," he said, referring to a feature of seasonal weather.

Rice is the staple food in Bangladesh, an agrarian country of more than 130 million people. Agriculture is the biggest employer and contributes around 30 percent to Bangladesh's gross domestic product.

A good harvest will "not only immediately give my family food but will also help me save some money to buy seeds and fertiliser for the next crop," Shahabuddin, who produces three rice crops a year, said.

"The frequent floods often push us to the brink of death or starvation. It was no exception following last year's flooding," he said.